Minnesota Legislature: Minnesota's Budget Crisis



Services to inmates are being curtailed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, prompted by the state government shutdown. (07/11/2011)
A Minnesota judge has ruled that a program helping severely disabled people find jobs doesn't qualify for funding during the state's government shutdown. (07/11/2011)
The finance commissioners under GOP Gov. Arne Carlson and DFL Gov. Rudy Perpich answer questions about the wide range of government spending and tax options available to Gov. Dayton and the legislature. What are the biggest items, and how controversial are they? (Midday, 07/11/2011)
For many residents in north Minneapolis, the loss of state services comes on top of weeks of hardship, as the neighborhood struggles to recover from the May 22nd tornado. (07/11/2011)
Twenty-two thousand state employees are out of work because of the government shutdown, but communication staffers for Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders from both parties are still on the job. (07/11/2011)
Midmorning looks at which party might be feeling more of the political pressure as the state government shutdown drags into its second week. (Midmorning, 07/11/2011)
Policy differences are making the task of solving the state's projected $5 billion budget deficit over the next two years so difficult. (07/11/2011)
Many of the 22,000 public employees out of work in Minnesota's budget impasse say they will manage to get through the extended layoff. But others are looking for new jobs, creating the potential for a brain drain. (07/10/2011)
Instead of sending Minnesota's elected leaders into a frenzy of activity, the nation's only state government shutdown has deepened the political paralysis that led them to their budget standoff. Top Democrats and Republicans have given no sign when they will talk again about how to resolve the stalemate. (07/09/2011)
Minnesota native and nationally-renowned congressional analyst Norm Ornstein compares the sharp divide in Washington to the sharp divide in Minnesota. Will Democrats and Republicans find common ground either place? What prevents this from being accomplished more smoothly? (Midday, 07/08/2011)
While Minnesota state government remains shut down for an eighth day Friday, some Republicans are criticizing DFL Gov. Mark Dayton for keeping his chef and housekeeper on the job at the governor's residence. (07/08/2011)
With fewer than 20 percent of its inspectors on duty because of the shutdown, the Minnesota Department of Health say it won't have enough staff to thoroughly inspect the food served at festivals in the state. (07/08/2011)
State government has been shut down now for a full week, and a budget agreement between Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders is nowhere in sight. (07/08/2011)
Economists warn that even if the shutdown ends soon, some negative effects could endure, including a hit to Minnesota's reputation. (07/08/2011)
St. Paul and Washington DC are more than 1,000 miles apart. But the budget debates going on in both cities right now are very similar. Republicans want to balance the books without raising taxes, while Democrats call for a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. (07/07/2011)

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